Friday, January 17, 2003

You have a tendency to fear the worst and the danger now is that you will allow it to get out of hand and spoil what otherwise promises to be a pretty good day.

At regular intervals throughout the day you must stop, count to 10, and remind yourself of all the reasons you have to be glad you are alive.

There are plenty of them.

True dat.

So in that vein, I remember...

Id lived in Jacksonville Florida for 7 years and heard the name 'Huguenot Park' outside the Mayport Naval Station.

I never once went there to check it out. I had never been overly impressed with Jacksonville's beaches, preferring the blues and white sands of the beaches a bit further south down Florida's Atlantic coast.

I was stupid.

This pristine beachfront and sand dunes is incredible, especially considering it sits between two massive Naval bases.

Well worth the 50 cent price of admission, never mind the Seahawk helicopters constantly on patrol overhead...

You have to drive through these massive sand dunes and a lagoon to get to the beach.

But the views are worth it .. ;-)

All during my trek up the Florida coast, I had been trying to get a shot of Pelicans skimming in formation over the waves and beach.

Here we go:

I drove to where they were nesting ...

Huguenot Beach is actually part of the massive Timicuan Nature Preserve, so there is wildlife aplenty.

Just stepping in the water, you'd have schools of baby fish swimming in the shallows.

And I love that you can drive on the beach flats (although I did manage to get stuck one or *cough* thrice in the sand).

Oh yeah, the lifeguards had taken off just as I got there..

but eh

This being right beside one of the biggest Naval bases on the east coast, we were never alone..

Thursday, January 16, 2003

You know, as low-key as I try to keep it - I do live a pretty interesting life.

Relatively speaking. :-)

F'rinstance, after I finished the first day of the current shoot project (following a set of anti-war protestors from preparation to transit to participation to going home)

Then I headed back to the current crash-pad, wandering up Telegraph Ave.

and decided to treat myself to a cheap dose of chicken tandoori and naan at Naan&Curry

On my way, with time to kill, I wandered into Cody's bookstore on Telegraph..

I'll love that Virgo woman till the day I die. :-D

*kekeke*

Then as I sat down to read a stack of magazines, there came a rumble of people to get their books signed by Bruce Sterling, science fiction writer, cyberpunk icon.

I didnt move from my spot..

Somewhere along the way, someone wandered by and actually HECKLED him, saying "You write like a faggot! You should write like Bukowski, man!"

At first I thought this was merely a good-natured jibe, but apparently this long haired, tattily dressed young man (Im assuming is aspiring to be a published writer himself) was quite serious. After a few other taunts of faggot, he quickly walked away.

Sterling went, "He wants me to be a drunk?"

And the book signing went on...

Heh. I found this chica in leathers pretty cool..

Yeah, so I got an autograph and contact info...

I think Cody's let him pick up a free book.

And in the washroom at Cody's...

Eh, I tend to walk by those signs, never ntice them.

Cheepak Dopra is there this sunday apparently.

Then I walked by my favorite print store, looked at a few Klimt and Adams in the window and wandered back to the crash pad..